Billy and the Turkey
Shoot
A Thanksgiving Story
By Danny Tillman
Now!
After The Last Flung Bowie Knife passes harmlessly between Yark and X, the three men advance three giant steps as Raschelle unsheathes 2 more from her bandoliers, one in each fist. She rears back and throws both simultaneously straight at Tom and X. Tom dives to his left from the one thrown by her left hand, as the spinning giant knife is already carrying a tad to the right side of his chest. The blade narrowly misses its mark. Conversely, X dives to his right to just miss being stuck with the knife tossed from her right hand. Both boys end up on the ground 5 feet on each side of Albey, who runs straight at Raschelle and at the same time, yells, "NOW!"
From Yark's right flank, Morris and Billy break cover yelling like wild Indians and from the left flank, Rufus and Johnny do the same. Raschelle looks frantically from side to side then back front at the rapidly advancing Albey. She has just enough time to pull out one more knife, cock her right arm and deliver it directly at Yark. This time the wicked heavy projectile scores a hit dead center of Albey's heart. The force and weight of the giant knife is enough to cause him to be knocked backward and he is catapulted face up, eyes closed, not breathing, onto the ground.
Before she can draw another weapon, Billy, Morris, Rufus and John are upon her. Tom-Tom and X also have recovered from their twin dives and join in. They all get a good grip on her hands and feet, and Billy yells, "Mr. Pisachube, bring the ladies!" Raschelle begins to scream, "I killed my daddy! I killed my daddy!" and then she passes out.
Raschelle wakes in total darkness, lying on her back, in her bed, in her bedroom. She suddenly remembers the last knife that she threw at the long-bearded man dressed in black, and him falling backward and lying motionless on the ground. "I've killed my daddy!" she moans. Then, crying out to Father in Heaven, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...," over and over in the most sincere manner that she had ever known. It comes from deep within her and is spontaneous and genuine. After a period of lamenting, she couldn't tell how long, Raschelle sees a tiny pinpoint of light located directly across from her at where she knows, even in the darkness, is the far wall of her bedroom.
The dot of light, motionless and waiting there, is as a single star, tinted yellow-orangish, as would be seen in the black night sky. But this star she knows, without knowing why, is different from any star or light she has ever seen before. It stays there for a few seconds, and all her attention is focused on it. She senses that this is no ordinary light. It is alive, intelligent, and is there just for her. It is looking at her and she is fully aware that it is. Then, at the speed of light, she sees the tiny steady-shining point of light instantly leave its stationary position and shoot straight at her. Even though the light moves very quickly toward her and remains a point, it seems to leave a misty trail behind it as it speeds toward her. Then it hits her directly in her heart.
She feels it explode inside her with a warmness which would be better described as a feeling both physical and mental that spreads from her heart to saturate all parts of her body. She has never experienced anything like this before: True Love, warm and liquid, and then, Joy! After these feelings lessen somewhat, a few minutes later, her next thought is: "I've got to tell somebody!" Then, she remembers, "Oh no! I killed my daddy!"